Ryder Wrathbane
Chapter 1: Genesis. Seven years before the Lich King's power came into fruition. Once lived a human, by the name of John Adams Ryder, living on a farm with his wife, Sophia. John's faithful companion was his horse, named Shelby. One day, John was tending his corn crops on a cloudy day in Elwynn Forest. He was then called in by Sophia for dinner. After a mighty scrumptious Boar Leg. He returns outside to find Shelby is missing. He searches all around his farm and behind his small cottage, but Shelby was no-where to be seen. He then calls to Sophia that he is going to search for his much-beloved horse. After a week of constant searching, he stops outside the town of Goldshire - fatigued - and sleeps under a tree. When he woke up from ten hours sleep, he is dumbstruck. His horse is dead, and of a dark green colour lays beside him, with a note stuck in her body by a copper nail. John frantically read the note. It said - "Beware." He then ran back as fast as he could to his farmhouse - yet to find more demise. His wife Sophia had been brutally murdered. She had a note in her lifeless hand, saying "Your Next". Stricken by the events - John spends the next two weeks in caution - about what will happen. Then - at around dusk - John settled down to some corn. He then felt a weird sensation in his body and was starting to run around his house - mad - and then collapses. Plagued corn had killed John Adams Ryder. Chapter 2: Invictus John Adams Ryder woke up in a strange place - still woozy from the corn he ate on that fateful day. He then felt an insanely sore pain on his back - followed by a "crack!" sound. He had been whipped. Then a dark voice said, "Get up." He got up to find a man dressed in light blue armor, with blood stains all over it, and a deadly white blade, pulsing white light every few seconds. The man then said. "The Lich King has chosen you from your grave to serve for him. Resistance is futile." John, didnt have anytime to think until he felt a shivering cold race though his bones.... He had been transformed into a Death Knight. The man then said - "I am your Instructor. You shall not know my name. Call me "master". Your new name shall be "Ryder Wrathbane". Also, I have something you may want to see." He carefully followed the instructor to a weapon rack. "Here, take this. This shall be your weapon." Ryder picked up a shining blue axe, with icecicle-like sharp points coming off it. Ryder looked at his axe, then away from it, to find something that he remembered dearly.. He saw his beloved horse - Shebly's dead corpse. He then spoke to th e instructor - "Master, that is my horse from times past. Will I be able to own her again?". The instructor then said "You took the words right out of my mouth." Ryder then saw his horse moaning and groaning and turning red and black. He then saw armor forming all over Shelby and her feet turning a flaming bright blue colour. An abomination came over to Ryder and said "Dis your horsey?" Ryder Replied "Yes, it is." The abomination said "Ok, you take horsey. Desolation be nice girl, ok?" From then on. Ryder and his beloved deathcharger, named Desolation, Roamed Azeroth, under the Lich King's will, serving his every duty. Chapter 3: Exodus 5 years on, Ryder was sent to help the Lich King's forces to combat the Argent Crusade in Zul'Drak, Northrend. Then, he heard news.... that the Lich King had fallen to an elite team of warriors. Then all of a sudden, his scourge companions started ravaging each other, tearing themselves up limb from limb. He fleed from battle, exiled from northrend and then settled in the dark forest of Duskwood. He then heard that some exiled Scourge were looking for members for their order. Ryder and Desolation quickly went to Darkshire, a neighboring town to learn more. He was ridiculed, rotten food thrown at him and was forced to leave. He then shouted at the townspeople "I mean no harm. I just wanted to enquire where i could find scourge exiles?" A burly man then replied - "Aye, ye'd find them near the graveyards on th' other side o' Duskwood. Now scram from here." Desolation went as quickly as she could, to the graveyards. Ryder entered some sort of cave and was confronted by a fellow Death Knight by the name of Menelaus. Men elaus asked some questions of Ryder to pledge his alliegiance to the order and Ryder accepted. From this day on... Ryder Wrathbane is now part of... (()) Chapter 4: Post-Mortim Two months after joining his new faction, Ryder was scouting Westfall for unknown reasons. At the Defias Brotherhood outpost in Moonbrook, Ryder catches his eye on something very familiar to him - his sister. She is now a Defias, after she ran away from home when Ryder was 4, and human. Ryder approached her and said, "Sister, how amazed am i to see you" His sister ran and screamed "Ahhhh! This undead thinks i'm his sister!" Ryder then switches his soulform to his human one. The Defias were alerted and came out in masses, of at least 20, weapons ready. Ryder softly said - "Skylar, it is John. I was killed, and here I am." Skylar replied - "Is it... you John?" Ryder replied - "Yes." then Skylar gave him a hug. Ryder replied once more - "Sorry, but if i do this, we will be together forever." and then stuck his axe though her, which on the other side, the blue parts started glowing purple, and then Ryder and the corpse of Skylar started emanating purple, and Ryder then phased, into his human form, then into Skylar's form and back. They were both together again, stuck in a body of the undead. Chapter 5: The Nightmares Late one dusky evening, Ryder was spending his time in the Library - looking through a tattered book of spells which un-interested him. He noticed Viola and Damir sit down next to him - with Relin sitting in another chair. They were all chittering away when Ryder started to remember his past life, in his human-soulform. Suddenly, Ryder drops to the ground, in a trance, reciting one of the memories in his life - when he was just a seven year old human boy.. ---- Ryder : "Mother, can you pass the potatoes?" Skylar : "Oh, hold on John, here they are.." Jane(Ryder's mother) : Skylar, what's that in your pocket? Skylar : -stuttering- "N-n-nothing mother!" Jane : "Show it, Skylar." -Skylar gets up from her chair- Skylar : "Mother, you don't have the right to see! I'm twelve years old and I can do what I want!" Jane : "No you can't - now sit dow-" Skylar : -Furiously- " Yes I can!!!" -Skylar takes a knife out of her pocket and repeatedly stabs Jane (about 40 times) while Ryder watches in horror- Ryder : "Sk-skylar... what have you done to mother..?" Skylar : "Nothing John, she is just sleeping - I'm going to live in Stormwind for just now, don't tell mother!" -Skylar runs out, with the blood-soaked blade still in her han d- -Ryder goes to his mother on the ground- Ryder : "Mother, wake up now..." -Ryder sheds a tear and suddenly he snaps out of it, to find the gazing eyes of Viola staring him down- ---- Ryder said : "Uhm- what just happened to me there? Viola said nothing, and walked off, staring at Ryder. Relin added that she was a shadow priest and can look into people's minds, then Ryder felt a book fall from the sky next to him - a small book - with childish-like writing scrawled all over it. Ryder blows the dust off the book - so he can see it clearer - and reads the cover, shocked - "My Diary" - Skylar Adams Ryder Ryder took the book, and frantically ran away, to sit down by hi mself and read it. Chapter 6: Skylar's Diary Ryder was running. Running very fast to a secluded area in Oblivium. He sat down, ripped the lock off of the diary and read the first page; My New Diary: By Skylar Adams Ryder Dear Diary, Mother bought me a diary from Stormwind today, i'm so happy! But John got a better one that looks nicer and has more pages... Oh He is annoying!! But if i said that to him, he would cry and tell Mother and i would have been punished... -the rest of the page is ripped out- Ryder shares a short chuckle and then flickes on a bit; Carrots: By Skylar Adams Ryder Dear Diary, Mother got us some carrots today from the Goldshire market, they smelled wonderful! I wish daddy was here to see this... Anyway - John was being so annoying today! I mean, so annoying i would rather not have a baby brother! I wish I had a sister so i could play with my dolls with her... -t he small entry is finished- Ryder looks uneasily at the page and hurredly reads on another page. Red Bandanas: By Skylar Adams Ryder Dear diary, I met a few nice men today, wearing red bandanas. They asked me how i was, i said i was annoyed at my baby brother and i didnt want him around, or stay at my house. They looked at each other and offered me a place to stay, with a nice cosy bed and lots of money! yay! I am now in the big fancy house and i like it here. There is someone called 'One Leg' Pete, who i look up to as my new daddy, and there is someone called Amanda who i play dolls with, My dream has become true, but i must get rid of John and mother as they may be worried about me..... I know! I'll use the tricks that the men showed me to carve a pig! That'll work! Ryder looks in horror and looks at another entry John: By Skylar Adams Ryder Dear diary, I have been running a lot, and this is the only time i can sit down. I have killed my mother, but i couldn't kill John, i just couldn't... The look on his face when he saw mother on the ground.. -Ryder notices a tear on the page- Anyway... no turning back... I must work my way up in the Defias... It's where i belong now... John, sorry. Ryder is filled with rage, and tears the diary apart, ripping every piece of paper he can see in half. He starts to walk away but then sees another page floating in the wind. He reads it - The Undead: By Skylar 'The Carver' Adams Ryder Dear diary, Running out of pages in this book. It must have been 20 years since i last wrote in this. Well, it's my 33rd birthday today, and Amanda has thrown a party for me, how joyous. Hold on... why is there a death knight coming here, in Moonbrook? I'll see what he has in mind. I'll put this in my pocket for just now.. -The article ends there, with pen marks all over the rest of the page. At the end, Ryder notices a feint sentence. It reads "R.I.P. 'The Carver'" Ryder bursts into tears, but gets up, defiant. Ryder says "I was a brute. I didn't mean to be such a deadly force." -he picks up his axe- Ryder says "I don't need you anymore!!" -Ryder throws the axe off the edge of Oblivium- -Ryder has a sigh of relief, knowing he has done a good thing, he then looks at a book called "Shadow Magic and You." Ryder says "Hmm..." Ryder walks off. Chapter 7: Changes Ryder left Oblivium - to find someone excelling in Shadow Magic. He didnt trust anyone at the necropolis though. He left for a long, long time. No-one knows how long. Ryder returns to find that Oblivium is a fiery wreck sitting on a barren tundra wasteland. He is distraught and wants to find the last page of Skylar's diary.. He then sees a group of his fellow Scourge members: Kalexander yells: "Ryder, get over here! We still have to find this artifact!" Ryder reluctantly walks on, to find the artifact, but across from it, Scourgelord Tyrannus. Ryder suddenly fills with silent rage. So much that a dark aura emerges beneath his feet. Ryder was not a necromancer, but a Shadow Weaver, expert in chaos - he kept his anger inside him to find out that the artifact "Did not work" to Tyrannus's standards. Ryder speaks to himself silently: "Times have changed, Ryder. Times have changed. It seems that the fabrics of time have shifted dreadfully in my opinion. If only i could increase my shadow capabilities and comprehend such power that i wouldn't even need these people. But let's not think of that. Lets get that page back." Ryder rushes back to the wreck, and searches all over the stricken necropolis for that page. He heads around the plague quarter, nothing there, the throne room. No sign of a diary page. Ryder then heads to the library and sees the page, but guarding the area around it - two bile-infected bears, with pustulant spines and razor-sharp teeth. They see Ryder and lunge at him, Ryder had never been encountered in a fight with Shadow Magic, so he was uneasy. He stuck his hand out at one of the bears and a dark aura filled around the room. The fear in Ryder caused a shadow flux, freezing the bears in their traps, and howling in pain. Ryder was channeling past thoughts, dark thoughts,, into the bears' brains. The bears could not take the amount of dark thought Ryder was filling into their heads and the processing power the neurons inside of the bears could not take it, and the bears combinatorally exploded. Ryder looks at the bears, bewildered, recovers the page of his sister's diary and looks back at the scene he just caused. Ryder says: "Excellent" Ryder walks off. Chapter 8: A Mysterious Rock Ryder was scouting the area near Scourgevale with a few other champions by the names of Kalexander, Kragtesh, and 'Stinky'. The sky was dark, and fel meteors were raining down on the scarred battlefield. Ryder walks on to find three rogue infernals charging at him! He casts a shadow bolt vortex at one of them, while the other three warriors were attacking the other two. Ryder casts his spell, but the infernal reflects it, damaging Ryder inside, weakening him. Ryder shouts:" Cover me!" He press his hand against his chest, and suddenly, a blue and black aura surrounds him, regenerating his health and runic power. He had not seen such shadow power before. The infernals were still pounding on the scourge warriors, when Ryder shouted: "Enough!" and casted a shadow flux spell, blasting the infernals back, crushing them against an abandoned fel-tank. The infernals are weakened, and run off. Kalexander walks over to the infernals and devours their souls. Ryder chuckles, and walks over to the tank, to find a small glinting object. He picks it up with awe, he tossed it around, while wearing his gloves, he showed it to his companions. They didn't have a clue what it was. Ryder decides to head back, and inspect it further. As they were about to re-enter Scourgevale, a team of Scarlets ambush them! They fire at the scourge with fire-tipped arrows. The other three scourge champions escape, but Ryder gets caught in the crossfire. He is constantly attacked by burning projectiles, his flesh would be burned to cinders anytime soon, but the strange rock suddenly glows, and rises out of his pocket, and out of no-where, the rock and Ryder dissapear into Scourgevale. Chapter 9: The Voice Ryder is hurt, severely wounded. He decides to stagger over to Scourgevale's shrine, to meditate and heal himself under the unholy aura of the mystical stars. Once arriving, he takes out the rock that saved him. He takes off his glove, and touches it once more- The rock suddenly turns a dark red colour, it suddenly makes a droning sound, then a voice can be heard; "I can fly like a bird not in the sky, Which can always swim and always dry, I say goodbye at night and morning hi, I'm part of you, what am I.. I follow and lead as you pass, Dress yourself in black, my darkness lasts I flee the light, but without the sun, Your view of me would be gone," Ryder yells:" Who is that! Come out, fiend!" The voice returns and says:" No, Ryder. You have messed with my creation! You have tainted it with your undead flesh... You must gather all twenty-three of these rocks by the next lunar eclipse, or.... you will be ripped from existence!" Ryder replies:" What the fel are you talking about, show yourself, coward!" -The voice fades- Ryder runs out of the shrine, and back outside to the war-torn infernal plains to where he found this rock, near the tank. He searches all around it, but another rock was no-where to be seen. The voice reappears; "I am what men love more than life, fear more than death or mortal strife, what dead men have and rich require, I'm what contented men desire.." Ryder yells:" You again! What do you want from me!!" The voice says eerily:" Temporal rocks are rare to find, young one. Good luck. You'll need it- -The voice fades- Ryder lets out a scream of terror, and quickly shifts into the shadows, going anywhere he can think of to find the elusive temporal rocks. Chapter 10: The Forest Ryder took along Ankou, the hallowed, to a deep forest, inhabited by beings known as "Unborn". Ryder and Ankou tread carefully in this hostile region as they don't know what to expect. They find themselves travelling to an inn, with a surprisingly warm atmosphere. Ryder and Ankou settle down and get drinks but Ryder suddenly walks upstairs and find two elves, talking to one another. A temporal rock can be seen from one of the elves' belts. Ryder approaches them swiftly, he says: "You. I see that you have a rock in your possesion. I need it, it is of grave importance. Hand it to me now, and your life shall be spared." The elf replies:" No, i shall never give you my father's rock for your own greedy use. Back away! " Ryder swiftly ends the elf's life, by chanelling dark, malevolent thoughts into her mind, she drops to the floor. The other elf runs and calls for help. Ankou comes running up the stairs; "Ryder, we must go!" Ryder replies:" ...Of course." They jump out one of the inn's windows, and find temporary refuge in a bush. They stay as silent as possible. A number of guards converge into the inn, trying to find Ryder and Ankou. Quietly, they move across a stone path, to more bushes. Ankou makes it across, but an elf spots Ryder and charges at him. Ryder and Ankou both cast shadow bolts at the elves, terminating all resistance, but one lone elf comes, taller than all the rest, and charges at them - they both contine casting shadow bolts at the gigantic elf, but is not harmed, Ankou quickly distracts the elf by running away, while Ryder can see another temporal rock, and snatches it out of the elf's pouch. Ankou shouts:" Get in this portal!" And they vanish. Chapter 11: Ripped from Existence Ryder was teleported to a place known as "Menethil Harbor" a heavy-colonised settlement. Ankou said that he must leave and asked Ryder how many rocks he had now, Ryder replied, saying that he had five, and was sure a sixth one is near. As soon as Ryder and Ankou said their good-byes, another band of Scourge-warriors appeared by the names of Zazey, Vanez, Kaldon and Gar'mak. They greet Ryder, and they head to the inn. Ryder has a change of mind and says that we need to waste no more time, so they set to the harbor. The scourge champions looked at each other while Ryder cheerfully said:" Tally ho!", and jumped in the water. They reluctantly followed. Kaldon casted an underwater breathing spell so they could communicate underwater. Ryder said:" Split up and find the temporal rock, but don't touch it!!" They split up and searched for almost ten minutes when Gar'mak yelled, "It's here, i've found it!!" Indeed he did, and Ryder swam as fast as he could to where Gar'mak was. It was there, gleaming in it's blue essence. Ryder touched it - and as soon as he did, the voice re-appeared. "Pah, you only have six, and tonight is the lunar eclipse, you don't stand a chance.." The voice fades, and suddenly, so does Ryder. The scourge swarm towards where he was, and ponder about where he is right now. Then, they can hear him -Ryder's voice: "Gah, get away from me!" -The voice: "Never! Haha!" -Ryder can be heard groaning- -Ryder suddenly appears once more- Ryder mumbles:" Get me *cough* back ashore... Kaldon takes control, and commands everyone to help Ryder back to the shores of the Wetlands, upon arrival, they charge to the inn, and place Ryder on a bed. Kaldon starts to heal his wounds, saying "It will be fine Ryder, do not worry" Ryder replies:" Thanks, Kaldo-" Ryder freezes, and get's up. He is succumbed in a trance. He starts to talk. "Yes, mother, i'll go do that now. But what about Skylar, shall she come with me? I'm scared of stormwind." -Ryder mumbles on a bit- "Mother!!! Wake up!! Why is there wine suddenly on your blouse, mother? MOTHER!!!! -Ryder cries-" "Yes, i'd like to report a... a murder... Yes.... my mother was called Jane Ryder...The killer?...." "Skylar Adams Ryder." The scourge champions look on in shock, as he continues walking to the pier. "I'd knew you'd still be here..." Ryder looks at a box, and takes an object out of it, it is a pistol. Ryder aims it at himself. "I can't believe mother's gone...." "Well, this is how it ends!!!, the time is now!, no turning back!! AAAAAH!!!" -The pistol is fired, Ryder clumps to the ground, and his lifeless body falls into the water- Kaldon screams:" Ryder!! " and jumps in, followed by everyone else. Ryder's body sinks to the sea bed, and before the scourge can retrieve him, his body dissapears. The voice returns; "You are too late, champions of the Scourge, I'm afraid Joh- *cough* Ryder is "Ripped from Existence"" -The voice fades, leaving a dark atmosphere around where Ryder's body used to lay-